Cooper Flagg has given Mavericks fans something to look toward, but the NBA’s latest Player of the Week awards still landed like a fresh bruise.
On November 9, 2026, the league announced its Week 3 honorees, and the names attached to the awards were painfully familiar in Dallas: Luka Doncic took the West, while Jalen Brunson claimed the East.
For Mavericks fans, it was the kind of reminder that still stings. Both players once wore Dallas uniforms, both helped fuel real success, and both are now being celebrated elsewhere after leaving the franchise.
That pairing matters because it wasn’t some brief overlap or forgotten footnote. Brunson and Doncic were the backbone of the Mavericks’ run to their first Conference Finals in 11 years in 2022. During that playoff run, they combined for 53.3 points per game and looked like the kind of backcourt that could shape the league for years.
Instead, Brunson departed in free agency, and Doncic was traded three years later.
Since then, the pain has only deepened. Brunson has remained one of the NBA’s premier postseason performers, and earlier this year he led the New York Knicks to their first championship in 53 seasons, winning Finals MVP in the process. Doncic, meanwhile, guided Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals and snapped a 13-year drought without a trip to the championship round.
That’s what makes the alternate version of this story so hard to ignore. If Dallas had re-signed Brunson and never moved Doncic, the Mavericks would have had an elite tandem that already proved it could deliver in the postseason. They might also have had a championship to show for it.
Of course, that would have come at a cost: no chance to draft Flagg.
And that’s the one piece of comfort Dallas can hold onto. Flagg is already producing like a future star, averaging 24.0 points, 7.0 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in 2026-27. He’s on track to collect his own share of Player of the Week honors before long.
Still, this one was hard to watch. The NBA handed out awards that were fully deserved, but for Mavericks fans, they also served as a sharp reminder of what the franchise once had - and what it let slip away.
In Other News...
Cooper Flaggs Breakout Has Mavericks Fans Eyeing A Bigger Test
The Mavericks took control early against the Nets and never really let the game drift, with Cooper Flagg doing the heavy lifting in a performance that gave Dallas plenty to feel good about. Flagg kept the offense organized and aggressive, and the win came with a smoother look than the team has often had when trying to settle into its rotation.
Brooklyn never found much rhythm, especially after Noah Clowney ran into foul trouble and was out of the game in under eight minutes. Dallas also eased Max Christie back in after his injury return, a reminder that the Mavericks are still sorting out their pieces even as the results start to tilt their way. The bigger question now is how Flagg's growing role translates when the opposition is a little less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Backcourt Problem Just Got Harder To Ignore
The Mavericks backcourt depth is getting tested in a way that makes every absence behind Kyrie Irving feel a little heavier. With backup point guard Sergio De Larrea out because of a right knee sprain, Dallas has had to lean more on its current reserve guards, and Walter Clayton Jr. has helped steady the rotation while the team tries to keep the position from becoming a nightly problem.
De Larrea has already missed six straight games, and the delay in his return only adds to the uncertainty around a group that was already thin. For a team trying to manage its guard minutes carefully, the longer this lingers the more the Mavericks have to rely on patchwork solutions, at least until there is clearer news on when he can get back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Guard Shakeup Is Creating An Early Rotation Battle
The Mavericks are still sorting out their backcourt mix after Max Christies recent shooting slump and the hip issue that has cut into his availability. In the meantime, Caleb Martin has slid into the starting shooting guard spot and given Dallas a steadier look on the wing, bringing defense and efficient shooting from deep while the coaching staff keeps testing different combinations early in the season.
Walter Clayton Jr. has also entered the conversation as a useful ball-moving option, giving the Mavericks another guard to consider as they evaluate roles and lineups. With Dusty May continuing to experiment, this has become more than a temporary patch job, it is an early rotation battle that could shape how the backcourt settles once the team gets deeper into the schedule. [Read more 🡒]